Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-07-08
Some OF Herrmnnn's IricL

In an uptown managers Office the
other day little group of theatrical men
were talking about the interstate com
merce bill and other cheerful subjects,
when tall, thin, swarthy man, with a
dark curling mustache and imperial
entered. He was received with u shout
OF welcome. Now for some entertain
ment," said one of those present, and in
very few minutes the prophecy was
fulfill ed. The new comer was Hermann
magician who contrives to max G things
generally lively wherever he may happen
to hnd himself. After replying good
humoredly to a torrent of questions about
his recent Brooklyn adventure-he was
led to police station and narrowley
escaped spending the night in lookup
for playing practical joke on the oc-
lcupants OF street car-he said in French
English: "It was great fun, boys, though
L have not yet seen a strictly true account
of it. 1t made itself as thus: | find my
self in a street-car with two or three
worthy people who look as though they
were too sleepy and need waking up. /
wake them. Instead of thanking me,
they accuse me to policeman of picking
their pockets. The policeman takes me
to the station-house with my sleepy
friends. The sarjent there takes the
charge down and asks me for what you
call my pedigree. / give it to him and
am about to be sent To a dungeon, when
with all the politeness at my command |
say: The monsieurs not search their
pockets and see if they have beon truly
robbedF They do so. The one who had
lost watch finds the pocketbook of the
other in bis tail pocket. The pocket
book man finds gold watch in his trow-
sers pocket, while n diamond pin which
the third man has lost is neatly pinned
In the laple of the worthy policeman.
Once more, speaking politely, | say; Hold
on, too, have something lost and tax
ing off the hat of the sarjent | show him
underneath tho lining roll of greenbacks
They say no word, and l. bowing politely
once more, leave the station-ho
For the next ten minutes Hermann
turned the gathering into'a private seance
and exhibited in rapid succession some
really astonishing sleig ht-of hand tricks.
One of the party was rolling cigarette.
Give me cigarette-paper," said Herr
mann. The little book of cigarette pa
pers was handed to him, he took one out
and began deliberately tearing the slip
OF tissue paper into eight or ten small
pieces. These he folded togeather opce
or twice and then passed them to one OF
the party. "Roll it tight" said he, "be-
tween your finger and thumb" The re
quest WAS complied with, and little ball
of paper the size of q pea was the result
of the process. "Unroll that" said Herr
mand, "but mind you do not drop the
pieces on the floor" The little ball was
carefully unrolled and found TO be u
whole, untorn piece of paper of the evact
size and make of that taken from the
book and torn up by the conjurer. As
the subject gazed blankly at this aston
ishing transformation, Hermann took it
from him and folded in two once more,
and giving it him back told him again to
roll 1t into small ball. This was done,
and when it was once again unfolded half
dozen scraps of paper were all that re-
mained. He took a Tobacco pouch
from the smoker and with quick up
ward movement threw it into the air. 1t
was gone, completely vanished, and it
is needless to say, was found in the man
ayers desk.